Bounded by Secrets

"Through the fire and water"

The sunlight filtering into the room felt harsh on Mayumi's face as she forced herself out of bed. Her pillow was damp, remnants of her tears from the night before. Her heart ached, but she couldn't afford to dwell on it-she was already late.

Moving quickly, she grabbed her makeup and leaned into the mirror, trying to make herself presentable. But just as she began, something large and metallic caught her eye in the reflection. It moved slowly across the floor, a monstrous mechanical spider.

She barely flinched. "Seriously?" she muttered, already knowing the culprit.

Joseph burst into the room, laughing, a remote control in his hand. "Got you!" he said, grinning ear to ear.

Mayumi rolled her eyes, thoroughly unamused. "Why do you do this so early in the morning? I'm going to be late because of you!"

Joseph's laughter faded into a mischievous smirk. "It's good to have a little excitement in the morning, isn't it?"

She shook her head, irritated, but then something hit her. She hadn't even showered yet. She groaned, realizing her mistake, and gave herself a light tap on the head. "Great job, Mayumi. Makeup before the shower." Deciding she was out of time to do things in the right order, she quickly threw on a t-shirt and jeans and headed downstairs.

She reached the practice hall door, only to find it shut tight. A quick glance at her phone told her she was ten minutes late. She sighed and leaned against the wall, mentally cursing herself for being so careless.

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Jack strolling toward her, casually sipping his drink, completely unfazed.

When he reached her, he greeted her with a cheerful "おはよう" ("Good morning").

Mayumi stiffened, her jaw clenching as she struggled to keep her composure. She felt the bitter sting of resentment; she still couldn't shake the hurt and anger she felt knowing he had agreed to marry Rimmy. She averted her gaze, refusing to acknowledge him.

Unfazed by her silence, Jack continued speaking, his tone light, as if they were just old friends catching up. His words flowed on, oblivious or indifferent to her hostility.

A loud creak interrupted them, and the door opened, revealing Ayumu, who looked anything but pleased. Without a word, he reached out and pulled both of them by their ears, dragging them inside.

"Mind explaining why you're late?" Ayumu's voice was stern as he looked from one to the other.

Jack rubbed his ear and shrugged, a casual grin spreading on his face. "Well, I was-"

"Don't even try to make it sound reasonable," Ayumu interrupted, narrowing his eyes. He picked up a steel rod from nearby and waved it pointedly. "This better not be some stupid excuse."

Jack gulped, his usual cool slipping momentarily as he muttered, "Right, understood."

Ayumu turned to Mayumi, raising an eyebrow. "And you, Miss Makeup-Before-Bathing?"

Flushing, Mayumi quickly stammered out a vague, awkward excuse. But Ayumu merely shook his head in exasperation. "Honestly," he muttered, eyeing them both. "You two will regret this. I've got a little surprise planned, just for the two of you."

Ayumu led Jack and Mayumi to a car, saying little as they drove through winding roads that led up into the hills. As they reached the top, they could see Zeo in the distance, overseeing training drills with a group of new recruits. Ayumu parked the car, and they all got out, watching as Zeo finished giving orders to her trainees.

Noticing them, Zeo stepped over. Ayumu leaned in close to her, whispering something, and a small smile crept across her face. She looked from Jack to Mayumi and back again, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Alright, alright," she said, nodding. "I see what we're doing here."